12/11/23 - 12/15/23 Weekly Update

Hanukkah (also known as Chanukah) is an eight-day Jewish celebration that began on the evening of December 7 and ends on December 15. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting. The menorah holds nine flames, one of which is the shamash (“attendant”), which is used to kindle the other eight lights.

Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate!

We ask for your partnership in continuing to support some of our students who are experiencing difficulties in school due to the current world climate. We know that some are choosing to express their feelings in hurtful and hateful ways on social media or in the form of graffiti on school property.

As a school, we will continue to support our students in the best way we know how, while adhering to state and federal guidelines. This support includes:

• giving our students time and space to process the exposure they have to the outside world and the events that are unfolding that are beyond our control

• running community circles so we can truly listen to each other

• having one-on-one conversations with deans and other trusted adults.

We are also consulting with outside established partners to train our teachers to have conversations with our students when they experience hate or discrimination in any form as well as our students so they can facilitate productive and impactful conversations with each other.

As we know it truly takes a village, please continue to speak with your student(s) about the appropriateness of self-expression on different forums including online platforms. While we cannot control the events taking place in this world right now, we can control how we choose to react and respond to them.

Have a wonderful week,

Tamara (Tamii) Stras

Monday, December 11, Advisory: Wheeler House Grade 9 Assembly in Auditorium

Tuesday, December 12, 5pm: School Council

Wednesday, December 13: Q2 Midterm Comments Due

Thursday, December 14: Passin' Time (WIN 2)

Tuesday, December 19: LGBTQ+ Awareness Day

Thursday, December 21, 7pm: Alumni Holiday Jazz Concert

The most recently released district newsletter was on Wednesday, December 6. You can access it here.

Newton South Seniors:

Stay tuned for an email at some point this upcoming week regarding the Semester 2 parking lottery. Note that for students who have Semester 1 parking tags, Friday, January 12 is the last day these tags will be valid.

Teachers will complete midterm comments this week. They have until Wednesday, December 13 at 11:59pm to post comments, and we will post them to Aspen by the end of the week.

The term 2 Counseling newsletter was sent to families on Friday 12/8 and can be found here.

We will be holding an assembly for all students in Grade 9 of Wheeler House in the Auditorium on Monday 12/11. During this assembly, the deans will reinforce our core values and civic expectations for the 9th grade class to ensure they have a successful four years at NSHS. This will be similar to the presentation we have done for the other three houses to date.

Applications for the NSHS / INDBLR Exchange just outside Paris, France are now OPEN!

Students from our exchange school in Bourg-la-Reine will be in Newton from April 2 through April 12 (approximate dates) and Newton students will travel to France at the end of June (tentative dates from 6/26 to 7/6).

Students have the outstanding opportunity to share their family and school lives with a peer as they deepen their language skills and cultural understanding.

There will be an informational WIN block in room 6157 on Thursday, December 7. Interested 9th, 10th and 11th grade students of French should speak with their teachers now.

Applications are due Monday, December 11 and can be found here. Please consult the application for essential program information. Contact Mme Hahn or Mme Murphy-Ferguson with any questions.

The next School Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 12 from 5:00 - 6:00 PM. A full agenda can be found here.

If you would like to attend for public comment, please email strast@newton.k12.ma.us directly.

Our once-a-term tradition of Passin' Time will take place during WIN on Thursday, December 14. There will be musical performances and more. Let's fill the halls!

Thanks to the community and our long-term program supporters. "Reaching Across Borders," a 9-min documentary, will make its debut on December 14th. We welcome you to this monumental event that signifies restarting of the in-person exchange between Newton Public Schools and Beijing Jingshan School.

See more information below:

This only applies to grade 10 students.

Before Thanksgiving, Julie McDonough sent a letter to all grade 10 families informing them of the School Connectedness Survey that we will administer. Here is a copy of the letter that was sent to families.

This survey helps us ensure that each school in our district is a welcoming, supportive, and safe space for all our students. The survey is confidential and the data will not be disclosed outside of NPS, with the exception of Newton city officials focused on youth and education, who may receive district-wide summarized results.

Newton South will administer this survey on Monday, December 18 during the Advisory period. As stated in the letter, the survey will take about 15 minutes to complete, and your student may voluntarily opt out or may choose to skip ant questions they feel uncomfortable answering.

If you choose to opt your student out of completing this survey, please see the letter above for details. Although the letter states opt-out forms were due this past Monday, we will take them until the end of school on Wednesday, December 13.

On December 19, 2023, the GSA will be hosting a LGBTQ+ Awareness Day. They will have events in the Lecture Hall during A, B, and F blocks and a session in Gym B during G block.

See below for a list of activities taking place:

On the 19th, during Lion Block in the student center, the sophomore class officers will be providing free hot chocolate and $5 freshly made waffles with a varied topping bar.

*This is catered towards the sophomore class, but others are welcome to support us in our fundraising efforts for the sophomore dance.

Join us for an IMPORTANT conversation about the NPS Non-Discrimination Protocol

When: Monday, January 8th, 7- 8pm on Zoom

The Families Organizing for Racial Justice (FORJ) chapters at Newton North and Newton South High Schools invite all families in our school communities to an online hour of engagement and education with the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Newton Public Schools. The NPS Non-Discrimination Protocol is a crucial component in cultivating inclusion and belonging for all members in our community.

During the meeting you will:

• Develop an understanding of how NPS makes decisions

• Goals of corrective and restorative action

• Role parents can play in having conversations at home

There will also be Q&A session as well as some situationally relevant examples to help highlight how the protocol works. If you are interested in learning more about the protocol now, go here. To attend the meeting, RSVP Here. See you on January 8th!

All seniors in the Class of 2024 are encouraged to apply for the

Newton South Local Scholarships

Opened Friday December 1, 2023

Local scholarships are awarded through Newton South High School and through the generosity of individual and business donors, community organizations and memorial funds.

To apply, 1) complete the online application 2) Get a recommendation from someone outside Newton South. The links for these steps are below.

The application deadline is Friday February 2, 2024.

Based on the criteria of each scholarship, recipients will be selected and notified. While some scholarship awards are announced in March/April. Most will be received in early June.

Links:

Local Scholarship Application

Local Scholarship Recommendation Form (share this link with your recommender)

Questions?

Please contact Ms Sabet, NSHS Scholarship Coordinator

Use this form to report an absence:

• Cutler

• Goldrick

• Goodwin

• Wheeler

Attendance Standard for the 2023-2024 School Year

Attendance Standard FAQs

District Procedures Regarding Attendance

We will excuse up to two college visits per term in term 3 and 4 for juniors, and anytime during the year for seniors.

Our academic honesty protocol can be found here. This protocol is taken directly from the district's Rights & Responsibilities Handbook.

Bus Schedules

Boston Bus Schedules

Cell phones should not be seen or heard in class, and should be in a student's pocket, backpack, or door holder in the classroom. Consequences include a verbal warning, the teacher temporarily taking the phone, etc. If you need to contact your student during school, you should go through the house office, as students will not be able to check their messages during class.

We aware aware and mindful that students may need a cell phone for vital functions such as glucose monitoring. If you have any concerns, please reach out to your house office and work with them to find a solution that works best for both parties.

Please see the following letter from the Newton South Faculty Council regarding cell phone use.

• Year at a Glance: Overview of the 2023-2024 school year
• Term 2 Calendar: This calendar has more specific dates and times. One will be released each term.
• Lunch Schedule for Semester 1. Classes are assigned lunches based on what wing of the building they are in.
• Public Calendar of Events: We keep an updated calendar of events on the school website - this is a combination of events from the NPS calendar and our individual school's calendar.

Sign up for Newton Community Education college prep and enrichment classes this fall! From arts to academics, NCE programs empower your child to learn, grow, and connect. NCE classes can also inspire their passions and boost confidence. Preview our wide range of classes in the Teens At-a-Glance. Secure your teen's spot now at www.newtoncommunityed.org!

The SAT coordinator is Namal Sadiq. She can be reached at sadiqn@newton.k12.ma.us.

The AP coordinator is Brandon Johnson. He can be reached at johnsonbra@newton.k12.ma.us.

Did you know that South has a school store?

The South store is centrally located right next to the Student Center and is open several blocks throughout the week.

Come check out our different selections of Seltzer, Snacks, and South gear - or just come by to say hi!

We accept cash, debit/credit cards, and Apple Pay.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Students use MyFlexLearning to sign up for WIN blocks.

All students are assigned to a space.

• If you do not sign up for a WIN by the day before that WIN occurs, you will be pushed to a teacher's WIN based on available space. You will be pushed to a Wednesday WIN on Tuesday afternoon, a Thursday WIN on Wednesday afternoon, etc. If you continuously do not sign up for WIN block, we will follow up with you and determine a strategy to make sure you are making the most of this important time on learning period.
• If your teacher is absent the day of your WIN, you will be unscheduled from that WIN and pushed to another space.
• You have up until an hour before a WIN block starts to reschedule; after this, your WIN assignment is locked.

The library is not freely open during WIN block. To be in the library during this block, you must be signed up with a teacher who is assigned to this space. We will ask teachers to not send you to the library, as the library will send you back to the class from which you came.

List of Clubs & Activities at Newton South

Athletic Calendar